The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, and teams across the league are looking to build for the seasons ahead. It's no secret that one of the most talented and coveted prospects in this year's draft class is Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
The former two-way Colorado star is expected to be one of the first few names taken off the board in the first round. While it remains to be seen whether Hunter will play both sides of the ball as much as he did in college, he's been drawing comparisons to another two-way star, Shohei Ohtani.
Although the Dodgers' star is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, he is expected to begin pitching in addition to hitting for Los Angeles at some point this season.
Hunter made headlines when he compared himself to Ohtani before the draft. Here's what he had to say.
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Travis Hunter's comments on Shohei Ohtani comparison
Hunter's comments date back to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last March. A reporter asked Hunter what's more difficult, what Hunter does in football or what Ohtani does in baseball. Hunter responded that he thinks what he does is more difficult due to the physicality of the sport he plays:
Travis Hunter says him playing both sides in football is more difficult than Shohei Ohtani hitting and pitching in baseball
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 28, 2025
(via @YahooSports, @ALaboutSports) pic.twitter.com/Pw1nECifla
“I feel like I have put my body through a lot,” Hunter said at the Combine of the physical toll football has taken on said. “I do a lot of treatment. People don't get to see that part. What I do for my body to make sure I'm 100 percent each game. I feel like nobody has done it. I know I can do it. I did it at the college level where you rarely get breaks. There are a lot more breaks in the NFL.”
Travis Hunter-Shohei Ohtani comparisons
A week before the draft, Hunter drew an unprompted comparison to Ohtani from Cleveland Browns manager Andrew Berry. Berry spoke about Hunter's two-way ability in comparing him to how the Angels used, and presumably how the Dodgers will use him when he's healthy.
"It's a little bit like Ohtani, where when he's playing one side, he's an outstanding player," Berry said in a pre-draft news conference. "If he's a pitcher, he's a hitter, he's an outstanding player. You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways."
Berry added that Cleveland, which holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, is looking at Hunter primarily as a receiver, but he said they are also open to him "moonlighting" as a defensive back. Hunter has made it clear that he would like to continue playing both ways, just as he has been.
"It's never playing football again," Hunter said via CBS Sports of playing just one position. "Because I've been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it."
Travis Hunter mock draft
Hunter is projected to be one of the first few players taken in this year's draft. TSN's Vinnie Iyer has Hunter going No. 3 overall to the New York Giants and is the No. 1 overall player on his big board:
He's the unique "freak" of next year's class with his mega size and athleticism that makes him a strong cover man and almost equally adept receiver when called upon, which happened more often later in the Buffaloes' season.
Wherever Hunter may end up, the possibility of him playing both ways will continue to have him compared to Ohtani.